


Uneeded Translations

by sirnando



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 17:05:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5751199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirnando/pseuds/sirnando
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They don't speak the same language but then again who needs that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Uneeded Translations

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe no ones written them on here yet but here it is. s/o to dinosaurderyck for the language idea(:::

Toni knew German and English and a total of three words in Spanish which included thanks, hi and bathroom and he ended up moving to the country that spoke the language he was least informed about. But it was fine, ok, not a big deal because he’d learn and adapt, it couldn’t be that hard.

But it did turn out to be that hard because he didn’t see any capitals in their sentences and there seemed to be no z’s and everyone smiled when they spoke to him but they spoke so quickly he never did find out where that baño was at the airport, he just smiled and went in a general direction and held his pee in till he got to the apartment.

~  
‘He’s going to get sunburn’ was the first thing Isco thought of when he saw Toni. And that his hair was cut way too short, but that wasn’t as important.

But being the nice person he was, he went up to the guy and shook his hand, said hello and asked him how the weather was in Germany. Because he was nice.

He didn’t get a response though. Just a crooked smile and a stare, as if it was Isco who was the crazy one still standing there.

So Isco repeated his question. It wasn’t loud in the room, but who knows maybe the guy was too starstruck to answer. Once again, nothing.

“Hello?” he waved his hand in front of his face, but all he got was a red face and crooked smile turned sour.

“He doesn’t speak Spanish.” Cristiano came up from behind, smacked the back of his head.

“Oh,” Isco took his hand down, looked at Toni who was listening to Cristiano now. “He knows Portuguese?”

“English.”

“Oh, I know English.” He turned back to Toni. “Motherfucker”

~

That Isco guy had followed him around for the rest of the training session, cursing at him. And he’d always smile whenever Toni responded with an open mouth or big eyes or a red face. He didn’t find it humorous, but even Cristiano who had saved him from the awkward situation previously was laughing now. 

He tried stopping him once, turned back and said “Much colder there” to see if maybe he was mad because he hadn’t answered his first question, but all he got was another smile.

And he hoped maybe that was the end of it, one day of harassment and he’d forget or forgive him and move on to the next topic or (hopefully) never talk to him again. But he didn’t. Next day by his side again, not swearing as much as the previous day, but whenever Toni showed of some type of skill he’d lift his thumbs up and yell “Bitch” with a giant smile plastered on his face.

“Does he always act this oddly?” he asked James who had ended up next to him, but James looked to him confused, smiled and shrugged his shoulders in apology before running off.

So Toni was left all alone with Isco.

~  
He didn’t get that sunburned, either because he put on a whole lot of sunscreen before coming outside or he did get sunburned but you couldn’t tell with all the blushing he did on a daily basis.

Isco thought it was going pretty well though, because the fourth day in Toni had given up on trying to change partners or run away or look scared. He usually smiled and put his thumbs up (because he thought Isco would stop), but Isco didn’t stop. 

He wasn’t trying to be creepy or mean or scary or rude, he was trying to make new friends. New friends were always good, Isco loved friends. The more interesting the better and Isco loved interesting and challenging. What was more challenging than trying to make a new friend who didn’t speak the same language as you? Nothing, and that’s why he didn’t stop following Toni around.

~  
Isco was a funny guy, Toni decided. Or at least that’s what everyone else thought because anything that came out of his mouth was always met with laughs. Anything, which Toni didn’t understand except your occasional baño here and there, and he’d learned p*ta m*dre (which he’d rather not define), but he must’ve been ok. People who made other people laugh were rarely mean, or at least in his experience.

He just wished he’d learn some new words.

~  
His first match he was put in with Isco.

Isco came to him in the locker room, kicked his foot so Toni would turn around. 

“No shit.” he pointed to the stairs to the pitch, Toni nodded. 

“No shit.” got a smile and pat on the back.

And there wasn’t any shit. They did well. His accuracy was high, his passes created attempts and even though he didn’t get any assists he got even more pats on the back after the game.

“Good ass.” Isco commented while Toni was taking his shoes off.

Toni looked up at Isco’s raised thumbs and didn't know if it was a compliment on his game or -

~  
From that point on, it became normal. Isco and Toni, Toni and Isco at the training sessions, at the team dinners, rooming together at away games, even though that first time had been an accident. (Or Toni thought, but Isco had erased Bale’s name and stuck him in Luka’s room).

“Do you know what you’re saying to one another?” Cristiano asked one time during a dinner. Isco had gotten up to go to the bathroom, leaving Toni.

“No actually.” And Cristiano waited for an elaboration. No, but we’re learning one or the other's language. No, but we both know sign language. No, but we have google translate open on our phones. He got nothing.

Partially because Toni had nothing else to say and partially because Isco came back and they started pointing to random objects and nodding.

~  
It was that dinner actually that Toni decided he was going to start teaching Isco some English and German. Otherwise they’d be stuck in the same position for the rest of this friendship, if that’s what it had become (Isco still wasn’t convinced on whether it was completely yet). The position of, either Isco swearing randomly at something and Toni nodding feverishly as if they were in some serious conversation. Or one of them pointing at objects and guessing what it was called in the other’s language. Toni didn't think it would stick, the tradition of this game, when he tried asking Isco how to say embarrassed and ended up saying pregnant instead. But Isco seemed to love it

So now at the table they took turns pointing at spoons and knives and chicken and peas and juices and sharing the names of each.

Toni tried really hard to memorize everything Isco said, because he really wanted to learn, really wanted to know what the people yelled to him from the stands and what interviewers said to him after the game. And what Isco was trying to communicate to him at 4 in the morning in their hotel room, waving his hands around and jumping onto his bed.

Whereas Isco only remembered his swear words and ‘you’, so that he could point at Toni and add a you to his good ass after the games. Otherwise, he didn’t care really, he just liked hearing Toni talk.

~  
As for the late night fits, they ended up moving from the hotel room to their actual homes. Toni had moved from his little apartment on the outskirts of Madrid into the same subdivision as Isco, about two streets down.

He wasn’t sure how Isco had found out the exact address, how he was able to jump over the fence and find the right window (because there were many), but he did and Toni woke up at 3 to the sound of rocks being thrown into his room.

“You!” he heard outside, got up to find Isco wrapped in a blanket, two pebbles in his hand.

Toni didn’t bother asking what he was doing here and why he decided it was a good idea, since they had a match the next morning, because he’d be met with blank stares and a shit thrown in somewhere in there.

So he pulled his own blanket on and shoes and met Isco in front of his door.

Isco nodded in greeting, as was the custom. He pulled something from under his blanket, handed it to Toni.

"And English guide to learning Spanish" Toni read out loud, looked to Isco who stood there smiling.

"Cristiano." He responded and Toni assumed he meant Cristiano had helped him choose it for him.

"Good ass." Isco stuck his thumbs up and looked to Toni expectingly.

"I love it, I do. Thank you. I'll start reading it right when I get inside, which should be soon." He didn't remember that Isco had no idea what he was saying. It was late, his mind was hazy. 

Isco didn't say anything, no thumbs, no smile, no nod.

"Well," Toni said, tightened the blanket around him, "I should probably get back now. It's late. And we play today." He made a running motion with his two fingers. 

Isco sniffled, still didn't give any response but it was getting seriously cold and Toni wanted to get sick. "I'm going to go." He smiled and turned back, but Isco grabbed his arm.

He turned back around, mouth open to retort but he didn't get a chance to say anything because Isco's mouth ended up on his.

He kissed him. Kissed him and then mumbled goodnight, in English, before running off and tripping on his blanket on the lawn.

It was the first time he'd said anything in English besides some swear word.

~  
Isco assumed the friendship level had been reached. He wasn't sure when it arrived because previously he thought they were still in the 'becoming closer friends' stage, but maybe it'd been sitting there ever since they started their guessing game and Isco had changed from jumping into Toni in their hotel beds because it was funny to doing it because it was nice, laying down on him.

Either way, in front of his house while Toni was half asleep and all tousled and his own feet being close to frozen, the friendship level had decided to let itself known that it had moved on and something new came in its place.

It was nice, this new level. A little forward and demanding, but nothing Isco couldn't handle because Isco could handle anything and everything.

He just hoped it wouldn't scare Toni away.

~  
Toni didn't sleep the rest of the night so he might've just stayed up with Isco.

As in stayed up and talked about the book, before that happened.

He'd rather not talk about that. It kept him up all night so he had enough of it.

~  
Isco didn't know what he had expected the next day actually. A heartfelt reunion. Another kiss. A romantic team dinner. But he got none of the things he expected and he expected quite a lot. Meaning he had a lot of ideas of what could happen yet he didn't expect a normal day. Of Toni smiling and laughing and pointing and talking and knowing some of the words he'd taught him a week ago. But nothing beyond the usual. And it bothered him.

"You ok?" That was the most eventful event because Toni had asked in Spanish and Isco was about to show a half percent of interest and the other half make fun of him because the accent was too much to bear, but he said nothing. Nodded. No thumbs up. No good asses. Nothing.

~  
Toni had thought maybe it was an accident the kiss. Maybe he had tripped over his blanket and grabbed onto Toni for support and they accidentally fell on one another and kissed so it wasn't counted as a kiss.

Or maybe, just maybe, Isco was going to hand Toni a bookmark for the new book and so he tried getting Toni's attention and Toni was so sleep deprived he kissed Isco himself.

And see the latter was more plausible because Isco was acting all weird so he must've had a bookmark and Toni was just too pathetic to receive it. Had to act upon something that was building up inside him for a while now.

Damn it. It was probably such a nice quality bookmark.

~  
Cristiano called Isco stupid and Marcelo and laughed and Sergio called him a few other things he'd rather not repeat, but he got the message. 

He was right to ignore Toni. Based off those responses it was clear: the way Toni had reacted, so normally, was uncalled for. There should've been something else. Either disgust or happiness and nothing in between yet Toni had somehow wriggled himself between that fine line and decided it was ok to hide there.

Well it wasn't.

~  
Isco ignored him. Toni tried convincing himself it wasn't a big deal because maybe Isco just didn't want to kiss which was understandable. He hadn't had time to put his chap stick on.

But he stuck with how it had been before. Trained with him and passed him the ball and said good job, some occasional new words he'd learned in Spanish from that book.

That's what he thought he was supposed to do. Act like a normal human being and let Isco get over it. But a week passed and then a week and a half and then two and he didn't seem to get over it.

And then at their away game, Toni checked the list and there was a different name next to his. And then he checked again later because sometimes it took Isco a while to realize that after all this time he hadn't been automatically placed with Toni. But no, no eraser marks and no Isco.

So Toni decided it was his time to switch.

~  
"Just this once, I promise. I'll never ask again."

It felt odd trying to explain himself to Karim. It was their own business, he wanted to switch so he wanted to switch. Isco made it seem so much easier.

"I want to know what you guys do anyways that you always have to switch." He crossed his arms, leaned against the wall and all hopes of this going smoothly escaped Toni.

"We play games."

Karim's eyebrows rose. "Damn never mind I don't want to know. Have at it." He motioned to the door and dragged his bag to the other side of the hallway.

Toni breathed a sigh of relief.

~  
Isco didn't know Toni had entered at first, his back was facing the door, head squished into a pillow. He muttered something in Spanish, turned around when he didn't get a response and his answer stood in front of him.

Toni waved sheepishly, proceeded to pull his stuff out of the suitcase. Isco turned back.

"Isco." And it felt foreign to him, they barely used one another's name just gestured. Isco pointed to the alarm clock. 

8:00. He had to be kidding. He never slept this early, but nevertheless Toni grabbed his clothes and went to the bathroom.

~  
Isco wanted his $20 back. Benzema promised quality work and he choked the second Toni said anything. Worth nothing.

And now he was going to have to deal with this normalcy again.

~  
He came out of the shower, Isco seemingly unmoving.

"Isco?" He tried again, didn't expect an answer but Isco pointed to the clock again which said 8:15 now.

"But Isco." Nothing. He took his sock and threw it at him. Isco turned and glared.

"Come on." Toni motioned to the bed with his head. Maybe Isco would get the hint and start jumping, screaming. Acting stupid, anything. But Isco glared for a few extra seconds and turned away again.

Toni sighed. Eyed his bed, the clock, his feet, Isco's back. He had an idea but with the circumstances they were in maybe it wasn't the best idea.

But then again.

~  
Isco actually thought he was about to fall asleep, he heard the springs creak as Toni got into his own bed. And then Isco realized 'his own' was actually Isco's bed and Toni's arms weren't where they were supposed to be actually but around Isco's torso.

He stiffened for a moment, unwilling to respond. Then Toni kissed the back of his neck and a sigh betrayed him. So Toni kissed again and another betrayed him. And another. And another till he decided it was time to turn around and kiss back.

~  
The woke up covered in blankets. Isco tried remembering exactly how it he happened but Toni interrupted him by pointing at the clock. 

9:55. Their game was at 11. Not one bastard had woken them up. None of them cared to realize that their two starting midfielders were missing. No one cared to knock.

So they got dressed as quickly as possible. Took them a little longer because Toni couldn't find his pants and Isco's shirt was across the room, but they made it. Out of breath but they made it.

"I want my 20 bucks back when we're done with this." Isco growled to Karim.

"Hey man, I'll pay you 30 if you just never tell me what games you two play in that room."

~  
It went well. The game that is. And everything afterwards as well.

Toni ended up being a little more sleep deprived than usual after they arrived home. Because every night Isco found himself in his room, wrapped in a blanket and freezing cold minus the rocks in his hand. But it was ok. It was a nice sleep deprived if it meant Isco was curled up in a blanketed ball next to him every night.

And as for their language barrier, Toni handled it one night.

They say on their bed one night, neither of them ready to sleep and Toni took something out from under his bed. 

He hoped that Isco wouldn’t take it the wrong way. It was important to know more than just swear words in a different language, because not every person was going to accept curses thrown at them in the first week.

"A Spanish Guide to Learning English". Isco took it, laughed. “Good ass.” Thumbs up and this time Toni wasn’t sure if it was just his thank you or an actual compliment.


End file.
